Poured on-tap in downtown San Diego at the Columbia Street brewpub. The beer was poured into a pint glass with a bright, pale golden-yellow color. The beer had no head. There were light and soft malt smells, with very faint hints of hops at the end. The beer has flavors of light, musty pilsner tastes, with a balance of malt. It has a smooth finish, and is extremely light in mouth, but overall uneventful. Decent beer to down on a hot day of yardwork, but not if you are expecting anything of substance.

This was just excellent. If you are looking for a flavorful, refreshing, go-to beer for the summer, this is it. I've just finished my second six-pack and plan to add another sixer to the wife's grocery list.

It has a distinct, yellow tint. The head is not particularly huge or long-lasting, but is that what you really want on a hot, summer day? The best description of this beer is "well-balanced." Mr. Strauss seems to know what he is doing. I detect malt, citrus, and a gentle hop note that puts a smile on my face.

If you like "hop water" instead of beer, then this is not your beer. Go grab an IPA or your neighbor's home brew instead. If you are a San Diegan who needs a huge, hoppy brew, buy something from Stone instead. Otherwise, San Diego, you have a winner in Woodie Gold. Mmmm...

Poured to a yellow hazy color on my glass. This beer carries a hoppy aroma with a hint of apricot aroma. The head on this pour was very mild but did not take anything away from the great taste of this beer. The overall taste is of a beer that is not over the top bitter and not so mild. I think its a well balanced taste that makes Woodie Gold an instant winner on my list. Love them Pilsners!

D: Goes down easily, somewhat tasty, not much of a kick. This isn't a knock your socks off beer, but it's pretty simple and nicely balanced. Nice enough flavoring and a nice ABV to make this a sessionable beer.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is a clean, clear light gold. It's a little darker than straw. Two fingers of foamy white head developed and dissipated quickly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: Much like Karl's Amber Lager, though there's not as much caramel. Bready corn malts that are toasted a touch. Honey and a little butterscotch.

Taste: Not as good as the smell. Buttery and bready smooth. Mostly adjunct corn -- though higher quality than the usual macro fare -- and a very awkward hop bite. It's not the usual, crisp pilsner bite, but something more sour that tickles the cheeks.

Drinkability: It's okay. Karl wanted to make something drinkable for all of SoCal's elevations. It did so, but the result is nothing memorable.

Pours a clear golden color with a half-finger white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving light lacing.

Smells of light pilsner malts, diacetyl, and grassy hop aromas, in that order. The diacetyl isn't overpowering but it also isn't pleasant. As the beer warms the hop aromas turn slightly citrus but remain on the grassy side.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Crisp pilsner malt flavors kick things off before being joined by moderate amounts of buttery flavors. The diacetyl isn't quite as pronounced as in the nose, leaving room for more robust hop flavors. Grassy, earthy, and slightly lemon-like hop flavors join in midway through the sip and carry through to a mildly crisp ending.

Mouthfeel is OK. It's got a nice thickness however the carbonation is a bit on the heavy side.

Drinkability is also OK. I finished my glass without a problem however I'm not sure about another.

Overall I hadn't heard anything terribly good about this brewery and this beer confirmed it. Not a terrible offering but not one worth seeking out.

On tap at LAX
Poured a solid straw color with decent amount of head. Taste is mostly a good dose of sweet malt with just a bit of hop bitterness there. I see it classified as a German Pils", but I would probably say it's more like a Helles with a little more hop punch. Lots of bready flavors in there. Nothing awesome, but very highly drinkable and somewhat interesting for a good session brew.

Woodie Gold produces a thin white head, maybe a finger width at most that dissipates not quickly, but confidently leaving a thin veneer of white bubbles encasing the top of my beer. Bits of lacing that apparently did not want to be part of the protective layer of foam faithfully following my beer down the glass remain stuck to the sides like shy people at a club avoiding the dance floor.

Grainy and toasted malt aromas greet my nose with some slight hop aromas that I am not yet talented enough to identify.

The color is golden yellow of course but a deeper shade than the macro pilsners like Bud and Coors. The carbonation also seems lighter then the aforementioned heavyweights of pilsner.

Slight malt sweetness greets my tounge with a faint backend bitterness. A very drinkable beer but not one you would tell your friends they have to try. If this beer was a person, you would never be close friends but you would always get along.

This is a slightly sparkling light golden lager with a small, soft white head that leaves really good lacing. The aroma is a very light breeze of fruity hops. Perhaps a note of tangerine. The medium light body is more than I expected. It is soft and forgiving on the tongue but it retains the zazzle from the carbonation. There is a little citrus and a little noble hop action going on in here. The taste quickly fades and ends up a tad watery. This is a beer your dad would drink.
(rated Apr 26, 2007)

Pours mostly clear light gold with a bubbly white head. Bready aroma with some metal and grass. No Noble hops to speak of, considering this is a German Pilsner. Sweet with a small hop bitterness with a dry finish. Nice little beer, but not very good for this category.

Poured a medeium golden/yellow color with a small sized white head. Aromas of some grass, grainy, and a little earthy. Tastes of toasted grains, the same light earthiness, and light caramel. Lively body.

Picked up a six at the Pasadena Whole Foods while visiting Southern California for work. Pours nicely, decent white head, decent lacing, looks very much the classic pilsner. Smells a little better than average, with a hint of florals coming from the above-average hops.

This tastes good. Has that classic pilsner taste, nice bite, with a better-than-average hop characteristic that doesn't overwhelm. Crisp dry finish. Blessedly, they didn't go overboard on the fizz, so mouthfeel was good for the style.

Overall, a really drinkable brew that was greatly appreciated in the midst of a SoCal heat wave. Nothing world-shakingly special, but a very solid session brew. I'd go for this again on a hot day.

Good clear golden Pilsener with a short white head. Good rich golden color.

Smell is malty and toasted grainy with a spicy hop aroma. Little bit herbal but the spicy hop tweak is quite nice and not at all expected from a beer from this maker.

The taste starts out malty and toasted grain with a little sweetness and a toasted bread flavor. Little bit of caramel and a trace of spicy hop taste, flavor isn't what the smell promised. Not that much bitterness and the hops actually give more of a lemon taste than anything else.

Mouthfeel is OK.

A notch above Budweiser and beers of that type. This is OK and I could see ordering this again sometime when there was nothing special available. Not worth any great efforts or pain to obtain though.

Pours a fairly solid straw color w/a decent amount of head. The taste is mostly a good dose of sweet malt with just a bit of hop bitterness there. I see it classified as a German Pils", but I would probably say it's more like a Helles with a little more hop punch. Lots of bready flavors in there. Nothing awesome, but very highly drinkable and somewhat interesting for a good session brew.

Poured the 12oz brown bottle into a pounder glass. Extremely clear bright yellow body with minimal support carbonation. Head is fluffy and falls to an island. Little lace.

Plenty of bready, doughy malts make up the body of this brew. Give me a hop cutter of some kind and it may have worked. Like most Karl Strauss brews this is another solid offering but hardly here to wow anyone. There is a cream soda feel to this in taste and it has a creamy sloppy finish that lingers. Hops are subtly bittering towards the finish only to give way back to the doughed up malts. Ends rather sweet and I would reccomend you drink this as cold as possible.

Notes: Probably better in the blonde category as its nowhere near a double pilsner.